Dining Out: 4 Lunch Spots at Baha Mar

I spent the final days of the month of March at Baha Mar in the Bahamas. I had been looking forward to this trip for months, counting down to a week of relaxation where the most stressful question I would have to ask myself would be, "Which bathing suit should I wear today?" 

In the weeks leading up to the trip, I spent a decent amount of time on the resort's website, reading up on all the food options (of which there are many). I even created a Google Doc with hours, menus, and must-try items. 

When we arrived to the hotel, it was 2:30pm and we were starving. We checked in, brought our bags upstairs, changed into bathing suits, and headed right back out in search of food. 

We saddled up to the bar at the Privilege pool, which is considered the resort's "party pool." It blasts music at an insane volume, which can be heard at two of the other neighboring pools. 

Our first order of business? Cocktails. 

To share, we placed an order for the avocado fries with harissa aioli. Fried avocado is always a good idea. 

These were wonderfully crispy on the outside, the avocado was fresh, and the aioli added a nice little spice. 

My travel buddy went with the shrimp and mango salad. We were both impressed that they brushed the inside of the bowl with mango purée. 

She loved how bright and fresh the dish was, and felt it was a very generous portion. 

I went with the quinoa and roasted vegetable wrap, which came with a side of cassava chips. 

I don't know if it was the starvation, or the joy of not wearing a winter coat and boots, but this wrap tasted incredible. It had just the right amount of quinoa, you could really tasted the veggies, and the feta cheese gave it a nice saltiness. I made this disappear very quickly. 

One our second day, we snagged chairs at the Drift pool. Just after 12:00pm, we started to get hungry, and decided to walk over to the food trucks. 

We hopped in line at El Jefe, the Mexican food truck. 

The menu was 50% food (nachos, burritos, tacos) and 50% margarita flavors. 

While we were waiting, I noticed the top of the truck had a gold sign that read "Baha Mar." These people never miss a branding opportunity! 

I tried desperately to take photos of our margaritas, nachos, tacos and burrito bowl but it was so sunny (I know, woe is me) that I couldn't get a decent shot. You're not missing much, we both felt like the food was sub par. 

For the carnivores who may be reading this, there are three other food truck options: BBQ,, hamburgers and hot dogs. 

The next day we were excited to try Da' Poke Bowl Shack for lunch. Learning our lesson from the day before (that lines are long, and food can take a while to be prepared), we intentionally headed over at 11:30am. 

Da' Poke Bowl absolutely nails the Hawaiian vibe. 

There's a surf board over the entrance, and another one that lists the menu. 

We placed our order, and about ten minutes later, these two beauties landed on the pick-up counter. 

I went with the tofu bowl and added avocado (duh). 

My bestie chose the Cali style, which was crab salad, avocado, crispy onions and sesame seeds. She added mango, which gave the bowl the most beautiful rainbow of colors. 

My bowl was delicious, and was light years better than my tacos the day before. My friend said, "This is imitation crab, but it's still good!" 

To make the most of our time up and away from our lounge chairs, we also used this opportunity to pop into DAQS next door, the daiquiri bar. You select your fruit, boozy or virgin, and then 12 ounce or 16 ounce.

I went with watermelon and coconut rum; my friend chose pineapple with coconut rum. 

These tasted like ice cold slush on a hot summer day. 

On our final full day in the Bahamas, it started to pour around 10:00am. We spent over an hour huddled under our umbrella, with towels over our heads, praying the rain would stop, but when it didn't, we decided it was time for a drink. 

We grabbed two seats at the Drift Bar & Grille, under an overhang we hoped would shield us from the storm. The entire back wall of this bar is lined with frozen drink machines, which instantly cheered us up.

We decided on mudslides. Fun fact: the mudslide was my first-ever legal drink (at the Fire & Ice in Providence, RI). 

These tasted like hot fudge sundaes in a glass, and I wasn't mad about it. 

While we were looking over the lunch menu, my BFF was excited because there were several gluten-free options. Turns out, when she went to place her order, they were all out of every single GF thing they had advertised. 

In the end, she got the fish sandwich in a lettuce wrap (instead of the GF bun). 

I went with the vegetable panini, mostly because it came with a side of French fries. 

Unfortunately the rain never stopped that afternoon, so we were forced to go back inside. On the plus side, the SLS Baha Mar rooms have the fluffiest, coziest robes, which we put on to watch hours of E! in our room. 

Stay tuned for all the delicious details of our four dinners out.